Like most men with a good idea, it started with my wife.

Like most men with a good idea, it started with my wife.

I was trying to pitch the idea of upgrading of Kindle to a Kindle Fire and not having much luck. So I went another angle. I tried the selling point of full color picture books that we can read to our now 8-week-old daughter.

And then she dropped a bomb. She said, under no circumstances, will our child use a kindle, iPad, Leapster or any other electronic device until she was older. . .

I'm an IT guy. I have been an IT guy for the past 9 years and in that 9 years I have seen the field of technology become more user friendly and plentiful. I live by my phone, by the Internet, and by whatever the Google commands. Technology is all around us and, as a person who derives great pleasure from helping people understand and use technology to improve their life, I have fully embraced that.

So now my wife tells me I can't raise our daughter with technology in her face and at her disposal . . . and the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea. Why?

One word . . . Construx.

Construx was a plastic Lego-like set that used little blue connectors so you could build large objects. It's how I spent most of my childhood, pre-Atari 2600. But I think building plastic car frames and braces I could fit my  hands into helped my mind develop into what it is today. I'm no genius, far from it, but I will say I have a knack for troubleshooting and finding creative solutions to problems, something every IT guy needs to do.

What does this have to do with reading? Well, I've said before that I want to make sure reading is a common part of life while Emma is growing up, and I also think that it is important for her to learn that it is OK to be disconnected every once and a while and go off the grid a little.

That's extremely hard for me to do but I'm going to have to figure it out. Besides, after working with computer issues, software problems, and connection errors all day I think some off-grid time would be good for me. Off the grid, sitting with my family, reading. Sounds just about right to me.

One down!

What does it say about me that I'm more interested in reading about the statistical revolution of the 20th century (20th mind you) than I am of making a dream home in an Amazon paradise?
Regardless, I turned in my first selection today. I feel bad that I didn't read it all the way through, but I did do the 50 page minimum as stated in the rules. But I have to remember that I'm not writing book reports here, just trying to establish a foundation of making reading a natural part of life so my daughter grows up knowing what a book is. This is a marathon not a sprint.

1 book down, 2,833 books to go! :)

Just about ready to turn my first selection back in, and I think I might have to take a break from the non-fiction in honor of One Read and the 2012 One Read selection: The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht. Besides, a little fiction is good for you every once and a while, right?

And now the real test begins

And now the real test begins.

After I take a few days off from work(s), on Sunday my wife and our 6 week old daughter are going to visit Grandma in Western Nebraska. that leaves daddy alone for 10 days. 10 days! Hello nervous wreck edition daddy! Hopefully this means I can get caught up on some reading, maybe even knock out a few so I can get rolling again. Of course, XBOX, getting caught up on Game of Thrones, and hot wing eating will do their best to derail my plans. 

I'm confidant I can get a routine going though, gotta get my mind set that I'm in this for the long haul. Wish me luck. 

Time for a readjusting of the rules:
1. Non-fiction only. I don't have the time or patience to read every teen vampire romance novel. (though I might take advantage of the graphic novel section at some point, though I have burned through most of that section already)
2. 1 book chosen from each shelf at my discretion, if I choose to select another from that shelf, that is ok.
3. No time limit. I started working at the library in 2011, I wholeheartedly plan on retiring here so that gives me roughly 35-40 years to play with, God willing.
4. I must read at least 100 50 pages before checking it back in. Some things are just not going to float my boat, no need to force myself.
5. I must read at least 1 hour a day. That's going to be hard with 2 jobs and a newborn, but I want to set an example. I must read at least 15 minutes a day. More would be better, but this way I can at least get some some time in during my lunch break on those days I am away from home from 8AM to 9:30PM
6. Only 3 books out at a time. 3 is pushing it I think, but having a little variety is going to go a long way with this project.


So, my current selections are: Where the Road Ends: A Home in the Brazilian Rainforest by Binka Le Breton and The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century by David Salsburg.


Those selections are fine, I enjoy travel and I enjoy statistics, but to keep my head in the game for the long haul I am going to need to find some books on topics I really enjoy. So, I needed to make a list of those topics:
(Not necessarily in this order)
1. Video Games
2. Superheros\Comic Books
3. Archery
4. Writing
5 Cooking

I want to include these topics when selecting a book, but I can't do these topics exclusively or I'll burn through them and be left with topics I am not passionate about, which would make for a longer and more difficult road to finish.

That being said, say hello to selection #3: 799.32 WIS Bow & Arrow: The Complete Guide to Equipment, Technique, and Competition by Larry Wise.

Now, I know what your thinking: Oh, he selected Archery because it's a hot trend in pop culture. And, truth be told, I am a huge fan of Katniss Everdeen and The Hunger Games by Susanne Collins and I am also a huge fan (and have been a fan longer) of Clint Barton aka 'Hawkeye' from The Avengers. That is not where this selection is coming from.

Every summer at Bass Pro Shops (my second job) I help out during Family Summer Camp by manning the range. At the range we have a BB Gun and a Bow. Both of these items are designed for kids. My job is to introduce kids who have never shot a gun or an arrow, teach them proper technique and safety, and help them shoot targets down range. I think sometimes I get more enjoyment out of than the kids do. And while I am a fan of guns and rifles, I get an especially large grin on my face when I see a kid go for the bow over the BB gun.

Now, while I do help kids with the bow, and I have been shooting a bow for a long time now, I have not had any specific training in archery outside of Boy Scouts and that one day in junior high PE class. This is a great start for me to build my knowledge of the subject.

I need to pace myself though, I can't go straight for the archery book every time it is time to read. Time to get a schedule reading alternate books down. Travel, Stats, Archery. Hopefully I have the discipline to stick to it

Who has two thumbs and loves some math in the morning? This guy!

So, there are 9 rows of Non-Fiction books. We'll call them A-I.
A has 4 sections = A(4)
A(4) B(4) C(3) D(2) E(3) F(4) G(4) H(3) I(2)
Each section has two sides, one facing North, one South
A(N) A(S)
The 1st section of of A has 5 sets
A(S)(1)5
and each of those sets has 7 shelves
A(S)(1)5(7)
So if I select 1 book from each shelf of the South side of the 1st section of A that would be 35 books.
A(S)(1)=35
Each section has various numbers of sets and shelves but basically it adds up to this:
A=350 B=408 C=305 D=216 E=266 F=394 G=392 H=300 I=158

There are more than that. I've excluded the Espnaol selection.

So, we are left with a grand total of:
2,834 books . . .

I have a lot of work to do.

All right! Progress!
I got in a half hour of reading today at lunch, and I have to admit I am really digging this statistics book I selected, The Lady Tasting Tea by David Salsburg.
More importantly though, my selection process is getting out of the dark ages as I have my preliminary data ready to make my map of the non-fiction selection.
Behold:

It actually does make sense to me . . .

It doesn't look like much now, I know, but a little spreadsheet love, some Visio legwork, and maybe a pinch of database design and I'll have an organized and strategic method of selection. That makes me happy.
It almost feels like playing Risk . . . who shall I conquer next? *Insert evil laugh here*

Rough weekend. Between work, feedings, naps, looking at houses, and an escape to go see 'The Avengers' with my brother I barely had enough time to take out the trash and recycling, so I was not able to get any significant reading done. But it is a new week and I am optimistic I can knock out some chapters.

I have been thinking about logistics a bit. I need to plan this thing out. I will not be able to continue randomly select titles from the front and back sections. I think I'm going to make a map so I can track my progress and get an idea of where to attack next. I think I'll work on that at lunch today.

So, I'm not nearly done with my first non-fiction selection, but I am so excited about this adventure that at lunch I perused the stacks looking for my next selection. With the first book I chose I went to the very back, right to the upper 900s, so this time I went the other way, looking through (what I believe to be, I'm not a librarian) the first section of non-fiction. 

So, without further ado, meet selection #2:

001.422 SAL, The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century by David Salsburg.

This one is a little more up my alley. Not that I am not enjoying my first selection, but I am an IT guy that loves statistics so I think I'll be much more inclined to reach for this one, and thus positively affect this experiment.

On a related note, I also checked out my fist PAL (Playing As Learning) bag. These are big purple bags filled with books, toys, and activities for kids birth-3 years old, they come in themes, this one is 'Brain Development.' I am very excited to get home and start playing with Miss Em, though I have to be patient, she is only 4 weeks old and her favorite activities are currently napping, eating, and pooping.

I actually got some reading in last night. I feel pretty good about it too. Well, as good I can considering I've accomplished something a 4th grader could do. The important thing is to get a routine going. this is less about the content I read and more about the importance of reading itself. I really want reading to be a part of everyday life for my daughter.
Today she turns 4 weeks old, and I've noticed that I have a startling lack of picture books. We have regular kids books sure, but I'd like to have some books with bright colors for her to look at. I think a trip out tonight to pick some up is in order.

This is going to be a lot harder than I thought, after stopping by for some groceries, picking up dinner, eating (broken up by a feeding time for Miss Emma) it was 9 o'clock before I even realized I left the book in the car. A 2 hour nap followed by the next feeding time didn't help.
Today is a 2 job day, which means I won't be home till 9:30 so I don't imagine I'll be able to squeeze in any reading, even though I know I should make myself do it.
Maybe I can fit it into my lunch break at work #1? I might try that tomorrow.